Phillies’ Bryce Harper assists with a prom proposal after a teenager shows up at his door
If you’re a high school student looking for the perfect prom proposal, Bryce Harper is ready to be your wingman. The Philadelphia Phillies superstar joined a fan from Haddonfield Memorial High School in New Jersey to help him ask a young woman to the prom.
Jake Portello, a senior at his school, recounted on The Phantastic Sports Show (via Fox 29 in Philadelphia) that he got Harper involved in the event by simply going to his house and asking him.
“I knocked on his door. He seemed cool with it at first, then he asked for my email to plan it out. As I was leaving, he suggested, ‘Why don’t we do this right now?'” Portello said.
Based on the video, Harper appears to be an excellent wingman. He asked the young woman, Giulia, if she would go to the prom with Jake.
While Harper, a two-time NL MVP, may not be as smooth as Vince Vaughn’s character in Swingers, he was effective enough to accomplish the task.
However, there was a minor downside for Jake: Giulia initially seemed more interested in Harper than in him. Harper received the first hug before Giulia agreed to go with Jake.
It’s unclear if Giulia is a fan of the Phillies or Harper, but her reaction upon opening the door shows she recognized him, which was a positive sign. It would have been awkward if she had been confused about who was asking her to prom on Jake’s behalf.
Another unclear aspect is how Jake found Harper’s home address so easily. His recounting of the situation doesn’t suggest any difficulty in locating the place.
“I wasn’t expecting this. I thought it would be something cool among my friends and people in my town,” Jake said on The Phantastic Sports Show. “I didn’t even expect [Harper] to open the door in the first place.”
Harper missed out on attending prom during his high school years. He left high school two years early, earned his GED, and enrolled at the College of Southern Nevada to become draft-eligible at 17 in 2010.
Unfortunately, Harper won’t be able to help chaperone the Haddonfield Memorial High School prom on June 14, as the Phillies will be playing the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards that night.
